Hollyweird Land

Leaving Hearst Castle I couldn't shake the feeling of buyers remorse, that I had just payed $20 to see a filthy rich dead mans home. Back to the road I went forging on toward LA, although my destination for the night would be Tinseltown.

Hollywood was in no part like anything I had imagined. It was full of the depraved, and I'm not just talking about the famous actors and the rich that reside there. The normal folks that inhabited the area where a strange breed, mostly consisting of hack entertainers who's hearts once held the hope of striking it big, but who's dreams had long since been dashed and were now forced to prostitute there limited talents for a handout on the Walk of Fame. This was an all to common site, and gave the main tourist part of Hollywood Blvd a very desperate feel. As I walked up and down the Blvd looking at what little there is to see, I naturally gravitated towards the famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre. I did what all self respecting tourist do when there, I stuck my hands in Harrison Fords prints. Well that was a novel endeavor which was quick to loose its novelty, as a Marilyn Monroe look-a-like came up and said "hay there big boy." I hate impersonators, and this one was creeping me out, because "it" could have easily been a man. I shrugged off Marilyn's attempts to engage me in discourse with a nervous "nwwhaahahah" and made my way east along the strip taking note of the famous Kodak theatre where the Oscars are held.

I then headed north up Highland avenue I came across a very worn down hotel/hostel that wasn't in my hostel handbook and I hadn't seen on the internet when I did a search for one in the area. This lead me to believe one of two things; The place had opened up recently, or it was a complete dump. It was late in the evening and I wanted to settle in for the night, so I inquired within.